Hands are possibly the most used human body part of all and because of that they often end up taking quite a beating. Day after day we wash them over and over, sometimes things get smashed into them, and other times we jam them into places like doors and tight cracks. This inevitably leads to other parts of our hands sustaining damage, especially our nails. When our finger nails sustain trauma they usually turn black or blue from bruising or blood trapped under the nail. However, if you notice a dark spot on your nail, that suddenly appears out of no where and for no apparent reason, you should get it checked out immediately because it may be skin cancer.
That was the case when Melanie Williams went to the doctor to have an odd black spot on her thumb examined. She initially brushed it off as a wart or possible fungal infection but decided to have it looked at just to be safe. About two weeks after it first appeared she went to her doctor, and it’s a good thing she did. It turned out to be nail cancer, or more specifically melanoma which is a type of skin cancer, and it had to be removed as soon as possible to prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts of her body. She ended up having surgery and lost half of her thumb, but she was lucky that she caught it in time before it got much worse. She shared her story with the world in order to bring increased attention to the subject that not many people are aware of.
There are several things you can look out for, but if you ever suspect you may have nail cancer it’s crucial that you have a doctor check it out right away. Generally speaking, the most commonly affected nails are the thumb and index finger on hands and the big toe on feet. It was also noted in the video that nail cancer is most prevalent in African Americans. The warning signs to look for include whether or not the stripe is very dark and if it has blurred borders. Also, changes in the appearance of the stripe matter and the patient’s history always comes into play, especially if cancer runs in the family. When it comes to treating nail cancer, the stage it has reached matters most in determining how much skin, nail, or finger needs to be removed. For less advanced types the skin and nail around the spot is removed, while more advanced cancers often require the complete surgical amputation of fingers.
While most dark spots and stripes on nails are not cancer, it’s always good to be aware of the possibility that one strange, bothersome spot could potentially turn out to be just that. As with other types of cancer, the sooner it’s detected the better the chances for beating and being cured of it. Please pass this information on to friends and share it with family to help spread nail cancer awareness.
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